The Russellville School Board hosted another public meeting in its strategic planning series entitled “Building Our Future Together,” on Wednesday.

Conducted at Russellville’s New Prospect Baptist Church, the meeting gave area residents a chance to voice their thoughts and feelings regarding the school district.

Ashley Snellenberger, communications coordinator for the Russellville School District, said the School Board formed the meeting series to better assess and structure district goals by listening to district residents in an informal setting.

“There is a lot of talking at these meetings, a lot of discussion. It isn’t like the typical school board meeting,” Snellenberger said. “We let the people do the discussion and we just listen. So far, we have gotten a lot of positive feedback.”

According to Snellenberger, the school board created the strategic planning series in February and kicked off the series by hosting several meetings with district employees. By April, the meetings had moved on to involve students via a series of in-school surveys.

The final stage, which included Wednesday’s meeting, engages the community in district-based discussions.

“Our hope is that through these meetings we will gain a new vision, a new five-year goal,” Snellenberger said. “We believe that we can’t do the work we do without the community. Bettering the district is a community effort. That is why we are inviting everybody to be part of this process.”

Outside consultant Ken Hubbell was brought in to facilitate the meetings. Snellenberger said Hubbell serves as a guide to the district as it seeks new goals and provides an outside-the-box perspective to attendees. During the meeting, Hubbell walked attendees through a two-section agenda that included a brief period of brainstorming, followed by a group discussion and thought sharing period.

The event led to numerous discussions regarding school policies, district responsibilities and curriculum. Many of the discussions revolved around the level of communication between the school and parents. Attending parent Andrea Coffman said she would like to see a more open policy throughout the district.

“If we are going to talk about making this district the best, then we need to work on communicating things to parents,” Coffman said. “The school needs to work with us to make sure that our students are getting the attention they need. But if we don’t know, we can’t do anything about it.”

Breanne Davis, president of Russellville’s School Board, said the meetings, though part of a bigger plan, essentially focus on enhancing communication and the long-term bettering of the school district.

“As a school district, if you don’t know your vision or where you’re going, then you’re just floating,” Davis said. “The moment you stand still, you’re already behind. That’s why we are here, to make sure we have a plan and a vision.

The school board will host a final meeting on May 29 in the all-purpose room at Arkansas Tech’s Doc Bryan Student Services Center. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will continue until 2:30 p.m. Snellenberger said the meeting will serve as a final surge towards their goal-setting target.

“The meeting will let us dig deeper and discuss our strategies and goals as a district,” Snellenberger said. “It will be a very intense day, but it will be fun to see it all happen.”